Voice of the Undead by Jason Henderson Page A

“I mean, I don’t get anywhere, but you’ll love it. Everyone reads from a big chair in the library, surrounded by candles. They move the chair for the singers and actors to perform.”
    â€œOh my God, I don’t have any of my articles and books,” said Sid, thinking of the items Paul had mentioned. “All that stuff is gone.” He looked ill suddenly, as though he’d forgotten.
    â€œWe’ll go into town,” Minhi said. “It’ll be fun. We’ll get some new stuff, maybe some books on how to write a story. Hey, I could use some actual instructions.” She smiled encouragingly. “Huh?”
    Sid nodded and Paul folded his arms. “That sounds perfect.”
    Minhi turned to Vienna, who was approaching as she moved away from Bill. “Vienna, you up for a trip to Secheron?”
    â€œAnything to get out of here,” she said.
    They got up and neared the front of the class, where Ms. Daughtry was erasing things on the chalkboard. A cloud of chalk dust rose and scattered, and Alex coughed. He felt a speck or two get into his eye. He squinted and rubbed at his eyelid.
    â€œWhat is it?” Minhi asked.
    â€œ Ow —I got—” Alex doubled over, leaning on the desk. He could feel the specks swimming over his eyeball. His eye sang out with pain and he felt the plastic lens begin to wrinkle. “I got chalk in my contact.”
    â€œDoes it hurt?” Paul asked. Alex held up a hand, both in agony and almost wanting to laugh.
    â€œJeez—” He reached his fingers toward his eye. He needed the contact out right away.
    â€œDo you have any solution?” Vienna asked, already rooting through her bag.
    â€œDo you?” Minhi asked her.
    â€œNot here.”
    â€œI don’t have any,” Alex said. “I need to get some. Don’t worry, gimme a second, I can use spit.”
    â€œEw,” Minhi said.
    Alex winced as he started to pry open his eye, and then felt it shut in defiance. “Please, don’t make me laugh.”
    â€œGood Lord,” Vienna said, “come with me.”
    Still slightly hunched, Alex felt her take his sleeve and guide him out of the room. They walked down the hall and he heard the footsteps of the others behind him. It never ceased to amaze him how delicate the eye was, and how easily he could be rendered nearly powerless with a few specks of dust. It was the equivalent of bending someone’s pinkie back—just a little bit of pressure and the subject is subdued. “Hang on, I can just take it out and hold it in my mouth.”
    â€œDon’t be ridiculous,” she said. “I have solution in my room.”
    They reached a doorway on the floor level and Vienna stopped for a second, seeming to stare at the door as though she needed a key.
    â€œHe can’t go up there,” Minhi said behind them.
    â€œEh.” Vienna scoffed. “You three wait here.”
    Up a short flight of stairs onto a second level, and suddenly Alex was in a different world, a hallway of wooden floors and throw rugs and warmly painted walls.
    A girl in a robe was coming out of a bathroom and whispered, “Are you insane?” to Vienna, who rushed him to a door halfway down the hall.
    Still blinking, Alex was barely able to take in the room. He made out two beds opposite each other. The two halves of the room were very different—one was done up in bright colors, and Alex made out blurred stacks of manga next to the bed. That must be Minhi’s.
    Vienna’s half of the room reminded him in a blink of a madhouse for some reason, but he only had a moment to look before she led him to a vanity mirror and sink.
    He washed his hands and pried his right eye open, pinching his thumb and forefinger against his eyeball. “Okay,” he said. Next to him, Vienna was rooting through various bottles around the sink. “Argh!” Alex hissed as the contact swam away from his